With over 100,000 shares as of Saturday morning, Katie Brown, the woman who taped her dog’s mouth shut to stop it from barking, has still not removed the photo she took of her canine-reprimand off of her Facebook page. The photo has reportedly caused a flood of phone calls to the police station in South Daytona, Florida, where the woman’s Facebook account says she is residing.
“This is what happens when you dont shut up!!!”
That is the caption of the photo post Katie Brown put on her Facebook account. Katie’s friends mostly voiced their adamant disapproval of the way Brown chose to reprimand her dog for barking. The photo shows the unnamed dog with duct tape around its snout. The image of the duct-taped dog prompted a police investigation , according to The Daily Mail . The most recent report indicates that police are still searching for the woman who duct-taped her dog’s mouth shut.
Brown’s post showing her chocolate Labrador with silver duct tape around its muzzle appeared on Facebook on Friday and quickly went viral. Brown defended her actions, though, in the face of staunch criticism. Police reportedly are looking for the woman to question her, though she says she did nothing wrong.
A friend on the post asked Brown to tell everyone she didn’t actually tape her dog’s mouth shut.
“Katie assure everyone you did not do this.”
“I cant lie,” Brown wrote, “[I] did it for sixty seconds. It was time out,” and claims the dog hasn’t barked since, claiming her choice of disciple was effective. Later, she posted again trying to plead her case to the onslaught of Facebook wrath.
“Dont panic everyone it was only for a minute but hasn’t barked since… POINT MADE!!!”
One of Katie’s friends even asks her to take the post down before someone reports her for animal cruelty, of course, even by then, police had begun getting calls.
South Daytona Police Department Telecommunications Supervisor Mimi Perez reportedly told The Daily Mail that the department received calls from “44 states, three provinces, and as far away as Australia,” but that Katie Brown wasn’t at the address they had listed for her in their records.
Facebook photo of dog with mouth taped shut complaints ‘overwhelm’ police force https://t.co/o5bmu5DpI5 pic.twitter.com/0nDGo1IKMT
— The Telegraph (@Telegraph) November 28, 2015
The scene reminded many of the chocolate Staffie mix named Caitlyn, who looked quite a lot like Brown’s dog, who was found in South Carolina with her mouth taped shut. Caitlyn ended up needing surgery to remove the tape and William Leonard Dodson was charged with ill treatment of animals for that duct-taping incident, but as anyone can see from the photos, Caitlyn’s tape was significantly tighter and longer lasting than Brown’s dog’s duct tape discipline.
@ALovelierGirl @digbysox This poor dog went thru same thing. She made full recovery. Really sweet dog. https://t.co/5V4ye62tR6
— ?ø???? (@honnie__) November 28, 2015
Last year, a pit bull was rescued after police discovered the dog in a cage with its mouth duct-taped shut by Andrea Curiel. Curiel was charged after admitting that she was trying to prevent the dog from barking while she was at work in an attempt not to get her in trouble with her apartment management. That case was more severe than Brown’s situation. Curiel’s dog was also found sitting in a cage that had feces and urine it it so strong that it caused damage to the dog’s paws.
Petition | Max penalty for Florida woman who cages her dog in filth with muzzle taped shut! http://t.co/2Ew1OQA5g9 pic.twitter.com/gKbcUlBDo5
— Mary Lovell (@LovellMarelle) June 2, 2014
Saturday morning, Katie Brown posted another public comment stating, “I dont know what a—— did thr bulls— of posting my truck on line…. When i figure it out you are done!!!!”
In response to that post, a Facebook acquaintance wrote, “Channel 9 investigating you now you are such a dumba–… and all your friends are sending me nasty I’M cause I’m ‘friends’ with you… gona delete ya cause I not getting in the middle of this bulls— your on your own girl.”
At least one of Brown’s friend’s came to her defense on Facebook though. Facebook user Jordan Souza wrote, “People need to calm the h— down its a f—— joke those dogs are beyond well taken care of. Its not animal cruelty to put some tape on he mug for a min both those dogs have everything. Animal cruelty is all you stupid b——- dressing your animals up like retards there dogs not f—— dress up dolls.”
Action News Jax reported that animal control has taken over the investigation and “an animal abuse investigation is underway.”
What do you think? Are Facebook users overreacting to the photo the Florida woman posted onto her Facebook account showing her dog being trained not to bark by duct-taping its mouth shut or is this another case of animal cruelty?
[Image via Katie Brown | Facebook ]